Love Faithful in the Absence of the Beloved

Poem by Madame Guion

Translated by William Cowper

In vain ye woo me to your harmless joys,

Ye pleasant bow'rs, remote from strife and noise;

Your shades, the witnesses of many a vow,

Breath'd forth in happier days, are irksome now;

Denied that smile 'twas once my heav'n to see,

Such scenes, such pleasures, are all past with me.

In vain he leaves me, I shall love him still;

And though I mourn, not murmur at his will;

I have no cause - an object all divine

Might well grow weary of a soul like mine;

Yet pity me, great God! forlorn, alone,

Heartless and hopeless, Life and Love all gone.